Black Legend essays

Black Legend essays William of Orange once stated, Spain committed such horrible excesses that all the barbarities, cruelties, and tyrannies ever perpetrated before are only games in comparison to what happened to the poor Indians. This statement can be viewed in several different ways: truthful, hypocritical, harsh...the list goes on. William was correct in his statement except for the first word, Spain. Even though Spain did commit horrible offenses against the Indians, William of Orange, and the rest of the European settlers, should be included in that statement. Every settler that came over to the New World, whether they were aware of it or not, condoned the horrible excesses bestowed upon the Indians. Although several other nations were involved in the horrific crimes against the Indians, Spain may have been the worst in their treatment of the natives they encountered. The Spanish felt that servitude was a natural right, especially if you were born into so form of nobility. Dona Isabel De Guevara was a woman who was born into the position of princess. She came over to the New World only to find the men weak and the food supply scarce at best. She then wrote a letter back to the Queen asking for encomiendas, or serfs. The request was granted and Guevara received several Indians for help with the every day chores while the men were weak. The Spaniards treated everyone they encountered in the New World inferior for selfish reasons. They felt that Western Europe was the center of the world and there means of living were the civilized way. There reasoning for colonization was Gold, God, and Glory. The Pope, thousands of miles away, created the Papal Bull of 1493 that divided the world between Spain and Portugal. This bold statement shows the audacity of the Spanish towards the newly discovered Natives. Even though measures were tak ...